&quot;Cleansing&quot; Diets

I am considering a cleansing diet. In the past, I used to scoff at cleansing diets because I figured evolution designed humans to have all these magnificent organs to sufficiently detoxify the body (kidneys, digestive system, liver, etc.) --not to mention a bounty of foods that maximize these organs' detox processes.

However, I find myself debating if I should embark on one of these acclaimed "cleansing diets" to help with my acne problem (because others have found success in curing their acne after "cleansing"). I looked up a version of a "cleansing diet" that used organic apple cider vinegar to clear acne. It allowed me to simply add the vinegar to my diet, while not fasting or anything (one of the main reasons why I am wary about these diets is because many of them tell you to fast, which I think is a little curious). I am usually a very empirical person, but I decided to do this even though I could not find reputable medical studies regarding its efficacy or safety (I figured I might as well since others had claimed success). So in January I was ingesting organic apple cider vinegar as a bit of an experiment, and noticed that my acne cleared a great deal. At the time, I was also eating very healthy and contribute most of my success to green smoothies (smoothies with dark leafy veg included); I stopped taking birth control pills, which I felt had aggravated my condition. The 'theory' behind apple cider vinegar is that it alkalizes the body/flushes the liver thus reducing all sorts of skin issues. I cannot say whether I know if either is true. I stopped because ingesting so much vinegar had me worrying what it could do to my body and even though I drank through a straw, I worried for my teeth. Because I was doing the vinegar and green smoothies at the same time, it was difficult to gauge if both were helping me, or just the smoothies (full of natural goodness y' know).

So my question is, has anyone here embarked on any sort of cleansing diet and do you think it worked? Who here thinks cleansing diets are good for your health and who here thinks they are a load of hogwash? I have read a few medical evaluations about "liver flushes" saying that whatever was "passed" consisted of solidified ingredients that were used during the cleanse. Other evaluations say they were actual gallstones, so I am not sure what to believe. I want opinions, anecdotal/experimental evidence, and all the rest! Please feel free to take part in the poll.

Search youtube: Detox Retreat Success Stories. Results speak for themselves. I was glued to my TV for 5 hours straight watching back to back episodes of the popular UK show "Spa of Embarrassing Illnesses" only to find Austar (Australian paid TV) didn't air the final episode! Grrrr lol.

A cleansing diet is different from taking a supplement, which is what you're doing by drinking apple cider vinegar. People have claimed all kinds of benefits from organic apple cider vinegar with the mother included in the product; the ultimate believer that this cured everything is Dr. Bragg, who probably isn't actually a doctor, but who knows? It does do some great things for people, and harmful things to others; it depends on how people react to acidity. But it isn't a cleansing "diet." A cleansing diet would be rearranging your entire diet, for a short time or forever, to emphasize cleansing toxins out of your colon, liver, and other organs. The reason you read about fasting a lot is that it's the best cleansing diet there is -- you take in no toxins while your body has the opportunity to clean itself out in the meantime. How long to fast is controversial, but when first starting out it's usually recommended to do one day, then move on later to two, etc. The type of diet would depend on what part of your body you're trying to cleanse. If it's your liver, you're most concerned with fatty foods. If it's your intestinal tract, you're most concerned with adding in foods that clean the colon such as fiber while eliminating those that "stick," such as too much animal products or foods that contain toxic additives. If it's your pancreas, you avoid foods that easily convert to sugar. If it's your joints, you add in anti-inflammatory foods and eliminate pro-inflammatory foods. That's cleansing dieting.

Thank you for your replies. I have since decided to not bother with cleansing diets, as I eat a healthy and balanced diet anyways with lots of fiber, vegetables/fruit, --no more apple cider vinegar, legumes, fish, lean and organically raised meats, lots of water, avoiding dairy and soy, and so on.

Having been told that that's really all a cleansing diet is (adding more types of food to your diet, eliminating others, and/or fasting, or some combination of all three), I realize that I really don't need to do one. My diet is more or less fine. I discovered that I was suffering from a minor vitamin A deficiency (which I would not have expected because I get plenty of beta-carotene in my diet). Since supplementing it (and I plan to get mostly natural food sources of it soon, so I will not have to supplement it), the issues that made me want to begin a cleansing diet have diminished. I think I will continue on my merry way and hopefully my ailments will soon disappear entirely. Thank you though, for replying and offering insight.

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